The Eighth
by AdriDark
Summary: This is a oneshot story I wrote for a contest. That would explain the weird pairup.


The Eighth: She Gave Him a Month

January 8, 2009, Midnight

Cassidy Casablancas stood behind the yellow tape, frozen, numb with shock. He could see the flashing lights and hear the shouting coming from all around him but they didn't seem real-they couldn't be. If they were, it meant Cassidy's whole world was falling apart. "Veronica…"

Without thinking, Cassidy ducked under the yellow tape and ran towards the wreckage of his girlfriend's car. "Veronica!" The realization was finally starting to hit him and emotion was bubbling up inside, threatening to erupt with noticeable effects.

"Young man! Stay behind the police line!" A female police officer ran over to Cassidy and tried to direct him away from the horrifying scene. "Please, sir! This is a crime scene! You need to stay back!" She continued to protest as he struggled against her.

"No! You don't understand!" Cassidy's words came out more like a sob. He was so hysterical at this point; just about everyone had turned to stare at him. The only thing that kept him from going over the edge was something the police officer had said to him. "Crime scene? I was told there was a car accident…"

The officer looked at him with grim composure, her narrowed eyes slicing right through him. "Then why are there two bullets lodged in her skull?" She looked back at the body bag being zipped up and clucked her tongue. "What a shame. She really was a gorgeous young lady." She admitted.

Cassidy's head spun. _Bullets? Someone killed Veronica? Why?_ He couldn't make any sense of the questions, no matter how hard his mind tried to process them. He promptly fell to his knees and vomited. How could this happen? As the waves of nausea washed over him with renewed ferocity, Cassidy thought back to all of the events that had brought him to his moment. Every blissfully painful moment.

January 8, 2008, 2:45 a.m.

Cassidy sat at the bar and stared at his shot glass. How many of these had he had, already? He couldn't quite remember his first. He groaned as the glass fell from his hand and shattered on the ground. No matter how many he had, the pain refused to subside. Cassidy turned to the bar tender. "I still don't get it. Why would Mac break up with me? What did I do?" His words were slurred together with the alcohol and coming out clumsy and undecipherable.

The bar tender shook his head as he leaned on the counter. "Honestly, I don't know this girl so I couldn't tell ya. For the time being, however, I think you've had enough." He slung a small towel over his shoulder and walked towards another customer, probably drowning his sorrows as much as Cassidy.

With a sigh, the young Neptune citizen turned around in his bar stool and took in his surroundings. To be honest, he didn't quite remember what bar he was at. He had forgotten somewhere around his 4th shot. His eyes caught a "Karaoke Night" sign and he got up to turn on the machine.

In the glare of the spotlight, Cassidy shielded his eyes and looked out at the barroom. Only a few people in the front were actually watching him as he grabbed the microphone from a corner of the stage. As the music started to play, Cassidy squinted at the screen, displaying the lyrics.

"Ain't no sunshine when she's gone." He more muttered than sang into the mic. "It's not warm when she's away." His voice cracked and Cassidy wasn't sure if it was the alcohol or his heartbroken state that induced it. Maybe a mixture of the two. He continued singing anyway, letting people know how he was feeling.

As Cassidy broke into the second verse, he stepped off the stage and lost his footing, crashing to the ground. The music was still playing but it was almost drown out by the laughter and drunken applause of the audience. Cassidy was vaguely aware of someone helping him up and leading him out of the bar.

A familiar voice called out to the entire room. "Alright, boys! Fun's over! Cassidy has to go home and dry out now!" Veronica Mars. What was _she_ doing here? He knew that Duncan had ended things a few weeks ago but Mars didn't seem like the kind of person to deal with it in a bar.

As the two left, Veronica launched into the annoyingly parental 'what the hell were you thinking' speech. "Beaver, what the hell were you thinking, going to that bar? You're only 19! And getting drunk doesn't solve your problems! Are you completely dense?"

Cassidy frowned. "So, what, you're gonna go back to calling me Beaver as punishment?" He sounded almost pouty. "And what were _you _doing at that bar? Couldn't handle losing Duncan?" Now, he just sounded mean and stupid.

If looks could kill, Cassidy would have died instantly under Veronica's glare. "I was on a case, trying to find out if that place was abusing their liquor license." She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for making it so easy." As they reached Veronica's La Baron, she opened the passenger door and put her left hand on her hip. "Get in. I'm driving you home. You're way too wasted to be behind the wheel of a car." When Cassidy refused to comply, she shoved him in and slammed the door.

"Wow. A blonde shoving me into her car. You know this was always one of my fantasies. Somehow, though, I always imagined it going a little different." He chuckled stupidly at his joke as Veronica climbed into the car and helped buckle his seat belt.

"Shut up, Beav." Veronica muttered impatiently as she started the car.

3:00 a.m.

As Veronica drove through the night, silence flooding the car, she turned to Cassidy and shook her head. "I know I came on harsh and I'm sorry but I'm worried about you, Cass." She said, going back to his real name. "Ever since Mac ended it…you've just been different-scary. I kinda miss the old you."

Cassidy, who was starting to think a little clearer, looked back at Veronica and blinked. Over the last two years, when he and Mac were together, they'd often double dated with Duncan and Veronica. In that time, Cassidy and Veronica had sparked an actual friendship, not just the mutual tolerance they once shared. He was actually a little sorry he'd made her worry. "Veronica…"

He stopped.

It was amazing. The light of the moon suddenly shone through the windshield and landed on the girl's pretty face. It lit her blue eyes with pure starlight. Even in the darkness of the car, it was evident that she was gorgeous.

"You're beautiful, Veronica." The alcohol must've loosened his lips. He usually didn't speak what was on his mind. He figured once he had started, there was no point in slowing down. "You're amazing. I love you."

Veronica was caught off guard by the comment and turned to face Cassidy as she slowed to a stop outside his house. She cleared her throat, embarrassed, and pointed out the window. "I think this is your stop."

Cassidy didn't move. He just kept staring at her. "Didn't you hear me? Veronica, Duncan's an idiot. You're so smart and funny and…" He never finished his sentence. Instead, he let actions speak for themselves as he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips.

At a loss, Veronica's mouth hung open just a little. When she noticed this, she snapped it shut and turned to stare ahead. "You're drunk, you're depressed, you're on the rebound. Cassidy, it wouldn't be right. In about a month, you'll have bounced back and forgotten all about this night." She looked down, avoiding his eyes. "Good night, Cass."

"But-,"

"I said good night, Cass." Veronica didn't say it in a harsh way, really. It was more empty, hollow- like she no longer had any emotions.

Cassidy climbed out of the car with a heavy heart, and didn't look back until he was safely in his house. He watched Veronica drive away from his bedroom window.

February 8, 2008

Veronica Mars rolled out of bed early in the morning to the sound of her cell phone ringing, obnoxiously. Her first thought was suing whoever invented the contraptions as she reached around for it. When she found it, she turned it on and greeted the caller, angrily. "Hello?"

"Veronica, go outside." It was Cassidy. Why the hell was he calling her at three in the morning? And his greeting was just the tiniest bit unorthodox.

"Cassidy? Can you call back when I'm actually alive?" She groaned and wiped her eyes with the palm of her hands. "I fear for your life right now. I'm tempted to find you and cram this phone down your throat."

There was a sigh on the other line. "This can't wait. Just go outside. Please?" His voice sounded happy, almost chipper. Veronica wanted to murder him. Even if she was arrested, no jury would convict her. Come on, who wakes people up at three in the morning?

"Fine, just let me get my slippers on." She disconnected the line and sat up in bed. "And find the baseball bat." She added to herself. Groaning loudly, she stretched her arms above her head and wiggled her toes in front of her. She couldn't help but be a little intrigued by Cassidy's phone call. She was a private detective. Intrigue was part of the job description and she never go tired of it. "Alright, Cass. Here I come." She muttered.

Veronica walked silently through her lonely little apartment and came to her door. She fumbled with the lock until it came unlatched and opened it. Finding herself face to face with Cassidy Casablancas, she put her hands on her hips and squinted at him through still-sleepy eyes. "What do you want?"

"It's been a month, V." He casually strolled into her living room with his hands in his pockets. "And I'm still here."

Grumpy, sleepy, and coffee deprived, Veronica was annoyed out of her skull. "What the hell are you talking about? You called me at three in the morning to tell me that? Are you completely mental?"

Cassidy smiled a smile that made Veronica want to punch him. "January 8, 3:03 a.m. you told me that in a month I would have forgotten the whole night but I haven't. You're still beautiful, Veronica. And you still blow me away."

Suddenly, Veronica didn't seem so tired, or irritated, or violent. She felt wonderful. She felt special. "You waited exactly a month." Tears were filling her eyes. "I can't believe it." She paused and laughed. "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

"So…?" Cassidy's face lit up with hope.

"So, you can pick me up at seven and try not to be late." A small smile spread across her lips and she lightly kissed Cassidy on the cheek.

January 8, 2009, 6:00 pm

MarsBars72: Hey, Cass. I'm really looking forward to tonight. I can't believe it's been a year!

Cassidy smiled as he received the IM from his one and only. She always tried to do sweet stuff like that for him. Lately, they'd both been busy- Cassidy with a new internship and Veronica with some kind of hush-hush case and they're quality time had been cut in half but he still loved her and would never stop.

That's why it hurt so bad to reply.

Neptune4ever: Yup. A year since I first said I loved you. About that, can we do it tomorrow tonight? This internship puts a lot more on my plate than I expected and I might be here all night.

Frowning at her computer, Veronica placed her chin in her hand, sadly. She knew that Cassidy hated to cancel on her but it still hurt. It was the anniversary of those three wonderful words coming out of Cassidy's mouth. It was supposed to be special. She sighed heavily and wrote back.

MarsBars72: Alright. I'll just work on my case tonight. I luv ya.

Neptune4ever: I love you too, V. See ya later!

Midnight again

Cassidy choked back a sob as he cleaned himself up with a rag he'd been handed. How could he know those would be the last words he exchanged with Veronica? How could he know this would happen? If he hadn't cancelled, Veronica would be safe. She'd by his side. She wouldn't have been driving alone at night. The tears came back again as he felt in his pocket and his fingers brushed against the small box there. He was going to propose tomorrow. Veronica was going to go from being the beautiful girlfriend to being the beautiful fiancee

"Excuse me, sir?" The woman police officer was back. This time, her face showed more sympathy. "Are you Cassidy?"

The question surprised Cassidy and it took him a moment to reply. "Yeah. Cassidy Casablancas. That's me."

The officer smiled warmly with a little pity. "We found a letter in the car and it was addressed to you." She held out a small pink envelope to Cassidy and waited for him to accept.

It took him a minute. The letter was from Veronica. The last piece of her he had left. He was a little scared to accept but he finally did. Veronica would want him to read it.

His hands trembled visibly as he slowly opened the envelope. There were two items inside: a folded piece of paper and a disc. Inconspicuously, Cassidy slid the disc out and put it in his pocket. His gut told him it was important and he needed to keep it. Finally, he unfolded the note and began to read.

Cassidy,

A year ago, you told me that you loved me and I didn't believe you but as each day passes, you prove it to me again and again. I understand that you can't make it tonight but I am sorry to say that I can't make it tomorrow. Or anytime soon. The case I've been working on is a little bigger than I let on, and I need to disappear for awhile. In time, you'll understand. My life is at risk, Cass. I hope your secretary gets this to you because this disc is all of the files on my computer. Keep them to yourself. They'll be important someday. I love, Cassidy.

Veronica

_I love you too, Veronica. And I'm going to find out who did this to you._


End file.
